Does selling on eBay affect universal credit?

Nattyb888

Just that really? How is it declared. All online but seems geared up for work/hours. What would universal credit need to see? If they go via PayPal/eBay that doesn’t give full account as postage and fees at later date and returns ext need to be accounted for.

soolin

Nattyb888 wrote: »

Just that really? How is it declared. All online but seems geared up for work/hours. What would universal credit need to see? If they go via PayPal/eBay that doesn’t give full account as postage and fees at later date and returns ext need to be accounted for.

If you are just selling off your own things then there is no requirement to report to HMRC and consequently I suspect no impact on UC.

However if you make or buy things to sell then you are a business and as such need to declare to HMRC (although see the sticky thread about the £1000 trading allowance) . If you report as a business then your accounts reflect all of your costs and expenses , and may affect benefits.

deliveryguy1

Nattyb888 said:

Just that really? How is it declared. All online but seems geared up for work/hours. What would universal credit need to see? If they go via PayPal/eBay that doesn’t give full account as postage and fees at later date and returns ext need to be accounted for.

hi just read your question i,m in same position now just wondering if you got any answers ?

soolin

The answer is the same as above. If you are just selling your own unwanted items then you don’t need to declare anything. If you are buying or making to resell then you need to let DWP know and they will probably need to see basic accounts showing income, less expenses. For HMRC purposes though you don’t need to declare yourself self employed unless your turnover exceeds £1000 in a tax year. Note that is turnover not profit, so if you receive £1200 including the postage element and pay out £400 for post and £400 for goods you would need to declare.

I used to do volunteer work in the past and most people that were caught trading were caught by DWP and not HMRC. The majority of them were buying and selling second hand clothes (an easy spot when they sold every size and every gender) or were selling hand made crafts . 

Spoonie_Turtle

For UC it's on a cash accounting basis and if you are trading (buying or making things to sell) you declare your expenses and your income in the assessment period you actually pay/receive them.  You will need to report that you are self-employed and at the end of each month there will be a to-do to input your expenses and your income on your journal.  The profit they use as your earnings to calculate your UC payment is literally your income minus your expenses.

If you are simply selling off some of your personal things then no, you don't need to report it.

Are you the same person asking over on the benefits board?  If so, the answer hasn't changed.